Listening to Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, you can easily tell how proud he is of the city. As he addressed the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership’s June 1 luncheon, he couldn’t stop boasting about America’s fourth largest city, and how it would be the 23rd largest in the world if it was a country.

How it added 18,000 jobs in April – its best growth in 35 years, how the Texas Medical Center is growing, how it is the most diverse city in the country with 140 languages spoken, how we hosted the most watched Super Bowl ever, and how “The Los Angeles Times wrote ‘New York City is in Houston’s rear view mirror.’”

Looking around the ballroom at the Clear Lake Hilton at the smiles on everyone’s faces in the sellout crowd, it was easy to tell his audience was enjoying listening as much as he was enjoying his storytelling – giving him a standing ovation.

Webster City Manager Wayne Sabo, right, stops to visit with Ron Servis of Judge Ed Emmett’s office and Carla Medlenka, Houston Methodist St. John Hospital marketing manager, at the BAHEP luncheon at the Clear Lake Hilton.

Several area mayors were in the crowd, including Mark Denman of Nassau Bay, Michel Bechtel of Morgan’s Point, Louis Rigby of La Porte and Carl Joiner of Kemah. Houston City Councilman Dave Martin introduced him. Other elected officials included City Councilors Amanda Fenwick of Clear Lake Shores, Jack Christie and David Robinson of Houston, Bob Warters of Nassau Bay, Pat Van Houte of Pasadena, Theresa Vasquez Evans of Kemah, Nancy Ojeda of La Porte and Andrea Wilson of Webster.